Antoine Antoniol/Getty Images Ali Guettouche looks at a 'World of Warcraft' video game on display at a store in Paris, France, on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009.
Lester Louis Huffmire and Petra Huffmire, both 41, were convicted on Aug. 5 of locking their five- and ten-year-old female relatives inside an unsanitary trailer for three years, according to a press release from the Orange County District Attorney.
The Huffmires, who had a duty to take care of the young girls, were allegedly unemployed and would instead play World of Warcraft for hours every day from May 2010 to May 2013.
The girls were not allowed to leave the filthy home, which "[included] kitchen appliances covered in mold and cobwebs, stacks of trash, debris, mold, and feces throughout the home, a pile of used condoms under a stuffed teddy bear, and inoperable toilets," according to the Orange County District Attorney.
The girls didn't attend school, and couldn't leave the trailer home for any reason. A neighbor called the Anaheim Police Department, who conducted a welfare check and discovered the two girls malnourished, with damaged teeth and dirt-caked feet.
The couple pleaded guilty to "two felony counts of child abuse, two misdemeanor counts of false imprisonment, one misdemeanor count of contributing to delinquency of a minor, and sentencing enhancements for great bodily injury."
Petra will serve three years and four months in prison, while her husband will serve five years.
Unfortunately, this isn't the first time parents have neglected their children to play video games. In July, a Chinese couple reportedly sold its two newborns to offset the in-game purchases they made on free-to-play online games. The HBO documentary "Love Child," which aired on July 28, told the story of a South Korean couple whose daughter died of malnutrition while the couple spent hours every day in internet cafes, playing online games.
Via: Huffington Post